Facebook’s Watch Is Surprisingly Popular With Young People, New Study Shows

It looks like a fair amount of people are checking out LaVar Ball on Facebook.

Facebook’s Watch — its budding video platform — is off to a strong start, according to a new study from Morgan Stanley.

Forty percent of Facebook users check out clips on a weekly basis, according to analysts Brian Nowak and Ben Swinburne. Watch launched last August, with the social network streaming hundreds of shows — including content from A&E, Vox, Thrillist, and debuting shows like “Ball in the Family,” following around Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball and his zany family.

And Facebook — often more associated with an older crowd than Instagram, its trendy photo app — will be happy to see Watch is performing well with a younger demo; 40 percent of 16-34 year-olds check out Watch on a daily basis. Short form content (20 minutes or less) has been the most popular on Facebook, Morgan Stanley pointed out.

“We are encouraged (and admittedly surprised) by this early Watch traction as it speaks to [Facebook’s] ability to drive adoption of new products,” said Nowak and Swinburne. “We view Watch (and video) as the next key long-term driver of FB engagement and monetization.”

The data was pulled in December, with Morgan Stanley surveying 1,400 Americans, aged 16 and older.

YouTube remains the king of the online video hill, however, 78 percent of respondents watch YouTube on a weekly basis — and one out of four saying they watch at least an hour each day.

Tech companies have gathered at CES in Las Vegas to show off their newest gadgets for 2018. From Samsung's massive 146' TV to the first fingerprint sensor smartphone, check out what has caught our eye so far.

Vivo

Samsung has taken the big screen to a whole new level. "The Wall" is literally bigger than most walls, coming in at 146' wide. The picture is just as eye-catching, with its MicroLED display representing a major step up from the LED screens found on most TVs. If you're looking to cover your living room wall with "The Wall," it's coming out sometime in 2018, although the company hasn't put even a ballpark price tag on it yet.

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Rokid's AR Glasses highlight the main reason TheWrap continues to be bullish on AR compared to VR. In short: functionality. Throw on a pair of these wi-fi enabled glasses, look someone in the face, and you'll be hit with their social media profiles and contact information. It's a bit Terminator-esque. The glasses, manufactured out of San Diego, will be arriving later in 2018. Rokid wouldn't put a price on it, yet, but said it'll be "competitive" with VR headsets like Oculus, which run for roughly $400.

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Dolls are out, robots are in. That's what AvatarMind wants parents to believe, at least. The China-based company was showing off its three-foot robot, aimed as a 21st century educational toy for kids. The bot will sing lullabies and read stories, among other features. They'll cost around $1,600 to $2,000 when they come out in the U.S. later this year.

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Samsung and Apple lost the race to fingerprint sensors to Vivo. The Chinese smartphone maker has put th scanner right on the front of its unnamed phone. Similar to signing in at the gym, simply place your finger on a blue dot at the bottom of your locked screen, and it'll open up. It's the first smartphone to integrate the tech.

VIvo

XYZ's 3D Da Vinci printer shows you can make nearly anything in minutes... even a bust of President Trump, if you want.

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Sony is showing off its three new "extra bass" SRS speakers, running between $100 and $250. The Bluetooth-enabled speakers have 24-hours of battery life.

Sony

Japan-based Omron's electronic censors can mirror human movement by building an artificial intelligence-powered ping-pong partner. Unfortunately, you can't buy this for practicing in your basement. But the global company's tech is being used at U.S. companies like Tesla, where it helps assemble its cars.

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Saving the adult content for last. Mashable recently pointed out porn accounts for 60 percent of the top virtual reality sites, and the industry is now betting on augmented reality as well. Naughty America, a San Diego-based studio, is displaying an upcoming AR app that'll allow fans to superimpose themselves right next to their favorites adult performers.

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The first fingerprint sensor-enabled smartphone is also on display

Tech companies have gathered at CES in Las Vegas to show off their newest gadgets for 2018. From Samsung's massive 146' TV to the first fingerprint sensor smartphone, check out what has caught our eye so far.